Gina Pierce

Studio 23: A Common Thread

Studio brief

‘A common thread’ as the title and theme of this studio has a dual meaning, and functions as a way into looking at a ‘material’ that is so intrinsic to our everyday life, that it has become overlooked because of its ubiquity. However, the many references in our language, ‘a stitch in time’, ‘fabric of society’, ‘spin a story’, indicate how deeply rooted the history and use of textiles is in our culture and history.

The studio will explore aspects of how we interact with textiles. Firstly by looking at the textile industry in design, trade, history, architecture, and issues involving sustainability and ethical use.

Secondly, we will use the textile metaphor to weave an argument, follow a thread through, stitch together, and patch the pieces into a dissertation.

In the Greek myth, Theseus escaped the Minotaur by leaving a thread, given to him by Ariadne, through the maze, so he could find his way back out. This is an example not only of how we might underestimate the strength and power of an everyday object, but also of how deeply embedded into our culture are the links with textiles.

Summer preparation:

Read the Greek myths

Visit the El Anatsui Bottle-top Textile in the British Museum

Photograph six textiles that have either emotional meaning for you/are used in an usual context/used in a building or with a non-aesthetic function

Outline the first seven weeks of study

The first seven weeks will be looking at the way in which we use and interact with textiles, looking at practicalities, concept and context. This over view, applicable to all course disciplines, will involve lectures, visits and tutorials. We will be using case study examples to demonstrate different methodologies to suit both textile students and those from all other areas.